Whispers of Stars
by LadyGoat
Summary: Dramoine fic. Begins in the intermediate between fourth and fifth year. OOTP Compliant. Slowly, Draco realizes that he wants no part in what his father has to offer, but what choice does he have? Hermoine might have an answer, but how can he get her to trust him? Will be posted once I finish the first few chapters. Rated M for later chapters. Eventual Dramione side eventual Hinny


**Welcome Aboard! This is a new story, and I'm posting it on a brand new account so that my userbase isn't bias. I hope you all enjoy this story. I have had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I would like to here what you think of the pace I've set. Should I slow the scenes down, speed them up, or keep them roughly the same?**

 **Disclaimer: The world of HP doesn't belong to me in any way shape or form. This is the only disclaimer that will be written in the story.**

* * *

 _We live,_

 _but only for a while,_

 _Before time staggers on._

 _Sometimes bright and always gentle._

 _Falling helplessly between time._

 _How does the lover not triumph?_

 _How does the moon not die?_

 _The emptiness cravenly finds an embrace._

 _Only grudge rises as a pleasurable wave._

 _They go to seek another way_

 _Only to find that happiness slips away_

 _What is time after all..._

 _What is love after all..._

 _What is life after all..._

 **Whispers of Stars CH. 1**

Draco Malfoy knew three things for certain. One, he was so rich that his grandchildren's grandchildren would never need to work. Two, his intellect greatly surpassed the majority of his peers. And three, he was very attracted to the infamous Hermione Granger.

It had all started several months ago, yet it had already felt like years, decades, perhaps even centuries, ago. The Yule Ball seemed to be such a distant memory. He had dressed in his newest dress robes, his mother sending him brand new ones just for the occasion. They had been made from a new fabric that could only be made in South America. It was some sort of silk, though the materials could only be harvested once a year from some magical animal that was close to dying out. Pansy and Daphne had been very pleased and excited about it. He hadn't even cared what was special about his robes until he saw her. She had traipsed into the ballroom with her blue robes flowing gently behind her, only serving to accentuate her figure and her complexion. Even her hair had been slicked straight and had a glossy soft look about it. The teeth that Snape so often made fun of were unnoticeable. To say he had become taken with her in that moment was an understatement. He couldn't even control his tongue, making a soft comment to Blaise. Draco had been happy his mother had sent him something nice, even if Hermione hadn't noticed him.

Normally he would have made a snide comment but, she was stunning. It was the most beautiful she had even been. Perhaps the happiest too.

Later, he only caught a glance as she ran away from Weasley with tears in her eyes. Draco had almost burned inside when he saw her run out of the ball. Someone as pretty as Hermione really shouldn't have to run away crying. Draco actually had to stop himself from complimenting her as she breezed past. Pansy had gasped loudly when she noticed his gaze following after her.

If he thought back on it, Draco had always liked the girl. Well, it was more so that he felt ashamed by her during first year when she had easily brushed off his friendship on the train, only wanting to help Neville find his toad. So, he really didn't _dislike_ her _._ She was smart, happy and cute. Sure, her teeth were large and her hair was always a wild mess, but he found that his heart fluttered when she laughed. Whether that was a new ability she had developed, he didn't know. Still, most of the unpleasant name calling he had partaken in had been due to her intellect. He knew it, Blaise knew it. How could he not like the smartest witch in their generation when he, himself was so close to matching her wit?

Just because he found her attractive as a witch, didn't mean that he had disregarded her muddy heritage. And it definitely didn't mean he was about to declare his love for her like some Gryffindor buffoon. Draco just found himself acknowledging that she had some prowess as a person and had potential as a witch. He could always blame it on being a randy teenager, too.

Draco let out a long sigh and slipped out of his bedroom. He pulled lightly at the collar of his suit as he made his way downstairs where his mother was calling him name. Today would be a horrendous day. It was his birthday. He had always loved his birthdays, yet this year he couldn't help but hate it. Officially he was fifteen. Then again, he'd technically been fifteen for a month now. It was a few days into July, and he had just come home two days before his mother's gala. Unsurprisingly, his mother always insisted that he have a social party after school got out, even though his birthday always fell in the school year. That didn't change the fact that his father let a lunatic into their home. It didn't change that Draco wanted nothing to do with any of this.

But, like the good son of a death eater, Draco pushed his Occlumency shields to the forefront of his mind and glided down the stairs to his awaiting parents. He knew he had at least one more year before the mark was branded into his flesh. That gave him one year to figure a way out of the mess without his parents being murdered for his insubordination. Salazar help him!

"Draco, boy. Get down here. Now." His father's gruff voice carried through the foyer. "You must be here to greet out _guests._ "

He didn't want anything to do with their guests. He didn't want a party this year. It would only be filled with potential brides and his father's cohorts, "Yes, Father."

His mother's hand touched his shoulder. "You look handsome, Draco. Oh, you look so much like your father when he was your age."

That made his stomach turn. Draco wanted to be anything but that man his father turned into. He wanted to be the man he remembered his father being when he was small. Sometimes, he wasn't sure if his father had been so kind when he was young or if it was only a fabrication of his mind.

Lucius seemed to be ignoring the two, his eyes narrowed on the door at the end of the foyer. His eyes darted around the entrance hall, then frowned. Draco knew this meant his father felt nervous about something. Lucius had very few ticks. That didn't help the pit of dread rising into the back of his throat.

Draco couldn't stop the pit of curiosity that fell on his gut. Something just seemed wrong about today. While his father had never been one to show much affection, his attitude for the last few months had been unsettling. Even in the last few years, Lucius always made sure Draco was feeling well and more often than not, would call him into his study just to praise Draco. Lately there had been no soft moments for his father.

Just as Draco opened his mouth to call on his Father, an elf opened the front door and began leading people inside. The first glance he got was of Daphne Greengrass and her little sister, Astoria. He had always found Astoria to be the more lovely of the two. Her dark hair was always silky, compared to Daphne's blond mess. Plus, she was prettier too. Though, Daphne was the easier one to get along with. Astoria was immature and very prissy whereas Daphne was calm, collected and quiet.

He gave them a curt nod as the next guest walked in: Mr. Nott and Theo. Draco felt the intense desire to disappear as Mr. Nott approached him with that weird venom in his eyes. If there was ever a sadistic man in Draco's childhood, it would be Nott. He was much colder than the rest of his parent's friends, and he always made Draco's skin crawl. The look in his eyes always made it seem that he was looking for blood.

Thankfully he made his way to the parlor with the other guests, leaving Draco to feel a great source of relief.

 **HPHPHPHP**

So be it, Hermione also had an interesting day on July the fifth. It was a warm summer day in a small suburb of London. Hampstead had always been a quiet town, mostly because of the overall wealth in the area, and because of the median age of its inhabitants. Her parents had moved there a few years before Hermione was born, opening a very successful dentistry practice along the main street.

Hermione found herself sitting outside on the porch with her mother and father, watching as the evening sunset fell below the horizon, soon shrouding the town in moonlight. She had started the morning as happily as ever, waking up early with her mum to make breakfast, and helping out with the garden until her father woke up around eleven. The ritual was almost nostalgic to her after the last year. Her mother went to bed well before her father and Hermione spent time with him then. It was normal.

Her parent's had no idea about the atrocities that came about at Hogwarts this year. She had to let them think that the Wizarding world had few political issues and that her school life was only different than an education in the muggle world because of the influence of magic. Really, she didn't care that much because it gave her a chance to feel like she were normal and safe.

"Mum," Hermione sighed, "Where did you say we were going again, Italy?"

"Technically dear, but we're visiting Rome specifically. It's almost a different place from Venice." Her mother calmly replied.

Hermione couldn't muster the excitement she wanted to feel. A year ago she would have been much more excited than what she felt now. As much as she loved her parents, she needed to be in the Wizarding world, helping Harry figure out what they had to do.

She didn't like feeling this way, but some small part of her wanted to stay with her parents and never use magic again, but at some point in the last few years, magic had incorporated itself into part of her soul.

Earlier that day, Hermione had received a letter from one of the Weasley owls, it had waited very brutally for her to write a response. It was an invitation to stay with the family over the summer holidays. Her heart had warmed massively, though she could see the sadness in her parent's eyes when she told them. The sadness disappeared once she told them she was planning to stay at home until the last week in July.

Then they had broken the news of a fancy vacation out of the country. She had expected it. Every summer since her first year, and some Winter breaks, her family had taken a break to somewhere in the world, whether it be skiing in the mountains, or some beach in France. Once they had even flown to Hawaii for a few weeks.

She supposed it was her parents' way of bonding with her. But that line of thought made her feel guilty for not seeing them more often, so instead Hermione chose to believe that her parents just liked to travel and spend time with her.

"We're leaving in two days Hermione," Her father told her. "Make sure you pack what you need to this time."

She spotted his grin, and felt her cheeks heat. "Dad! It happened once, and I was thirteen then."

"Your father is right to question you." Her mother smothered her smile. "You did forget to pack you winter coat _and_ any sweaters when we went skiing."

Hermione bit her lip. She didn't really have a retort to their worries. To be fair, she had thrown together her bag within an hour of leaving. It wasn't _really_ her fault at all. He mother hadn't told her they would be leaving until they had arrived home from The station. She'd had a mere hour to unpack her trunk and back a suitcase for a week in the mountains.

"Muuuum." Hermione said. "Don't take his side!"

She glared at her father, but it only took a few seconds before both erupted in heartfelt laughter. Soon her mother snuck inside, leaving Hermione alone with her father. Hermione hadn't noticed due to the airiness she felt in her heart. It was the lightest she had felt in months.

Any happiness she felt was panged with the soft pain of regret and guilt. Her mind fell to Harry, who would be forced to endure a summer with the worst people imaginable, and he wouldn't even get a cheerful birthday wish from someone he cared for. He was probably half starved by now, too. And he had no one to help him with the horrible feelings he must have. The month after Cedric's death, Harry had not been himself. He was quiet and cold to his friends. And she guessed he'd been having nightmares, judging from the dark circles under his eyes.

She wished that Harry could have been her sibling. Then he would be loved and he wouldn't have to hate his summer breaks.

"Hey, Hermione." Her dad's soft voice called out to her. He wasn't looking at her, his eyes trained on the stars set above them. Not many could be seen that night. She traced her father's figure with her eyes, for once noting how worn and tired he looked.

"Yeah dad?"

"Do you remember when I tried to teach you golf and you tried for two hours to hit the golf ball more than three feet?"

Hermione blinked. "Of course. You refused to take me again after I somehow made the club set on fire."

"That was before we knew you were a witch." He smiled at her. "How about that time when you were six and I let you sit on my lap and drive the escort?"

Hermione couldn't hold back the sly grin. "I remember Mum getting angry because you let me drive in into the garage door. It was her car that you let me dent."

"Well, I wasn't letting you touch my Ferrari." He shrugged. "Your mother loved that car, even more after you dinged it, I think."

"What's this all about, Dad?"

He shrugged. "Honestly I'm not sure. We used to be so close. When you were younger you were always so happy to see me, and now you never seem extremely excited when we see you. I guess I just miss when you were around me all the time."

"I'm older now." She nodded. "I'm sorry that you feel that way but I love coming home. I know that a boarding school was never an option for you until Professor McGonagall explained that I was a witch, but I'm so happy that you let me go to Hogwarts. I have friends there, and I'm the top of my class. I think I'll even get ten outstanding on my OWLs. They're like GSCE exams in muggle secondary schools. And most of all, I'm happy, Dad. "

"I know Hermione." He sighed, eyes flickering to her. "I just remember when you were only up to my knee and you would get so excited when I came home, begging me to read to you before I even had my coat off. It's not that I don't like to see you be who you are, it's just that you're my little girl and I miss when I had all of your attention."

"Oh Dad!" Hermione bit her lip. Her stomach seemed to be in a knot. "I don't... It wouldn't be that way anyways if I were a muggle, you know. I'd probably be cooped up in my room doing homework all the time. "

Suddenly he stood up, "Good night."

"Night Dad."

Hermione wasn't sure what she could say or do to make the tight knot of guilt alleviate from her chest. She understood her parents' hurt feelings but she also knew that she had a commitment to her friends. There would be a war soon, and she had to make sure Harry wasn't going to die in it. Of course she couldn't tell her parent's that either. They would just pull her away from the wizarding world all together.

As she stuffed her face into her hands, Hermione felt a sense of hopelessness and loneliness that she had never felt before, and it felt like her heart was tearing in two.

 **HPHPHPHP**

It was the middle of August. Draco opened his eyes, the pit of his stomach tied in intangible knots. He held the small golden badge of a prefect in his hand, only feeling the tinge of cold that clung to the metal.

August had been much better than July thus far. Only Theo and Blaise had come to visit him, and his father had become much more normal. It all felt so forced though. After the death of the Hufflepuff a few months prior, his father had been sneaking away and coming back at the oddest of times.

Hogwarts couldn't come soon enough. He would have power there. It would be away from the horrid atmosphere that clung to his childhood home. He didn't even mind the idea of having to do school work. He quite enjoyed it actually. Especially once he had gotten past the degrading thoughts of his classmates.

That by no means meant that he had completely forgone his pureblood heritage. However, it did mean that he understood that the world no longer revolved around the ideologies of his father. Though that didn't stop him from being the perfect pureblooded son that his father so desired. Draco was good at filling expectations and he would like to keep it that way.

So long as his father thought that he had Draco under his thumb, Draco could explore the freedom that came with wealth and fame. He could also dodge quietly to the side and remain unnoticed. Yes, Draco found himself in a position where he could manipulate his father, however, his mother had always prevented Draco from reaching his goals.

She loved him. He knew that. She loved him so much that anything that could remotely hurt him was removed from his life. Whether it be a horse or his father's own words. She would always do her best to keep him safe. Yet that got in the way of his goals. Draco needed to know everything going on around him so that he could survive whatever would happen. If the world would end today he needed to know so that he could prepare himself. It frustrated him in a way that also made his heart warm. Life had become dangerous, and Draco had a feeling that he didn't know the half of it.

"Draco," A voice beckoned, just before the rapping on his door began.

He frowned, glancing up at the unlocked door of his study. It was rare that anyone dared visit his home anymore, if only because of his father. There was only one person who knew the manor almost as well as he did, and only one person who never had feared Lucius.

The knocking started again, harder this time.

Draco stood from his chair, letting the prefect badge fall to his desk. "Blaise you idiot. Just come in here already." In a huff he added, "Arsehole."

"What was that Drakey?" Blaise's falsetto made him cringe. The door opened the reveal the sun-kissed skin of his dearest friend.

"Don't do that you sound just like Pansy."

The roar of his friend's laugh made his head ache. Blaise shut the door casually behind him. "Oh Draco, these next two weeks are going to be fun."

"Yes, because having to see you every day is considered fun. You weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow." Draco wrinkled his nose and hurriedly moved toward his desk to pick up his badge. "My Hogwarts letter came today. I'm a prefect."

"Of course you are." Blaise rolled his eyes. "Who's your dad pay off for you to get that pleasure? Or let me guess, your Mum made your godfather do something nice for you."

"Oh shut up you wanker. Snape recommended me because I am the brightest Slytherin in our year. You're just feeling jealous because you have never outperformed me on an exam." He ran his free hand through his hair, feeling an ease he hadn't felt since the beginning of his fourth year.

"And you have never received a better score than that Granger girl." Blaise shot back. "Seems like you aren't nearly as bright as you thought."

"Oh shut up. That mudblooded bookworm is nothing without her precious books." Draco said.

Blaise smiled. "Of course, Mr. Prefect. I assume She will be the Gryffindor Prefect this year. I wonder who will be the female Slytherin."

"I just loath to see who he chose to be my female counterpart."

"Well, it'll be Pansy. You know how much of a headache she'd give Snape if he didn't let her have precious time with you."

Draco groaned. "I don't see why he wouldn't pick someone more pleasant, like Daphne."

"Because her family is as neutral as mine." Blaise took out his wand and walked carefully around the study before he casted a muffliato. With the sheer amount of magic in the manor, the ministry would never be able to tell where the magic came from, therefore the trace was rendered practically useless. Then he turned back towards Draco. "You looked awful at your party and there were many of your father's darker associated there. How bad is it?"

"My Mother has done a fine job of shielding me from whatever is going on with my Father. Anytime he has guests, she herds me into having tea with her in the gardens. It's like she's doing everything to keep me from hearing more than I already have. And my father has been very cold since the party. The dark lord made a brief appearance. I wouldn't have even known he was in the manor that night if Aunt Bella hadn't pointed him out. I think something big is going to happen soon."

"That is... interesting." Blaise scratched his chin in thought. "We don't really have much to go off of. If Narcissa is trying to withhold information you'll never find out. Instead of relying on your mother to give you reliable information it may be time for you to make a name for yourself with your father's friends. Not that I necessarily want you to get involved with any of them. I certainly wouldn't."

Draco held back the sneer at the thought of his father's less savory friends. If you could call scum like that friends. His fingers drummed against the old wood of his desk, trying to get his thoughts to focus on what he wanted. "I don't know about that, Blaise. I don't know if I can handle those types of people.

"It isn't like it was before. I think that if I get too involved it wouldn't bode well for anyone. If I were to get involved with that sort of people, my mother would as well and I don't want her doing something rash because of something I did. I know it's different with your Mum, but..." Draco stopped, unsure what he could say.

"You don't have to say anything else. I know." Blaise twirled his wand between his fingers. "Did you see Greyback at your party?"

Draco's eyes shot up, quickly realizing that his best friend practically grew up in the house. Of course he would have heard the quick appearance the Werewolf made. And the person who came with said beast. "Yes. I happened to witness his presence. He was in my father's study with another guest."

"Things really are looking bad in our social circles, are they not?"

"I fear that father will be a major player in the next war, Blaise." Draco could feel the stress working its way back into his shoulder blades. "And I'm going to be a part of it."

Blaise waved his wand to cancel the charm on the room. "Why don't we go fly for a while."

 **HPHPHPHP**

Hermione watched as Ginny frowned at Harry. She was sitting in the back of the dining room playing with Crookshank. The cat was pawing at a wisp of string that Ginny dangled in front of his flat nose. The poor cat had a very odd relationship with the ginger haired girl. Some days he would cuddle right up next to Ginny and let her pet him for hours, other days he wouldn't let the girl within five feet of him. Though, to be fair Crookshanks was that way with most people. If anything, Hermione would say that he enjoyed her.

Hermione herself was sitting next to Harry and Ron at the large table, not really listening to whatever conversation was going on between Harry, Sirius and several other members of the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius suddenly burst out laughing, causing her to jump slightly.

It was great seeing Harry and Ron again, not to mention the rest of the Weasleys, and Remus. Hermione felt like she was missing something though. The first day that Harry had arrived had been wonderful, even though he was livid with everyone. The weeks before Harry came were great too. Hermione had been able to catch up with Ginny and Ron, and even explore one of the old studies that had been filled with old books. But, there was still something missing.

Deep down she knew it was her parents. They had always been so supportive of her and they never held her back from growing, but she could understand that they felt abandoned by their own daughter. They probably thought that she liked the Weasleys more than them. She didn't feel that way but it would be simple for her parents to see it that way. She did spend every break with them.

The real feeling was loneliness though. Hermione grew up with her parents, both very normal, muggle dentists who loved her as much as they possibly could. She spent her childhood with the constant attention that came from being an only child, and being in a crowded house living with a clan of people, she felt out of place. Hermione had grown up very differently than a wizard. She grew up with stories of pretend magic and princesses with princes who beat dragons. That wasn't anything like the way the Weasleys grew up. They had all of the wizarding stories, and parents who used magic like a part of their body. It was just different.

Ginny suddenly looked up, questions seeming to pop from her gaze. She shifted, pulling the string away from the cat and nodded her head towards the door. Hermione quickly nodded, thankful if the redhead could help her get away from Harry and Ron for a few moments. SHe loved the boys, really she did, but having a female friend was nice at times.

"Hermione did I show you the charms book I had to get for next term? The book changed this year." Ginny stood up, scooping the cat up in her arms before beckoning Hermione out of the room with her.

Hermione suppressed her grin and mumbled that she was leaving to Harry before walking towards the exit where Ginny waited.

The two girls quickly made their way up to their shared room, shutting the door quickly behind them.

"Spill it, Granger." Ginny fiercely turned on her. "You've been mopey all summer and you never even pay attention to our friends. What's going on?"

"I..." Hermione bit her lower lip. "It's nothing, Gin. I'm fine."

"No you aren't."

"Ginny."

'Oh don't you 'Ginny' me!" Ginny threw her hands to her hips, hair flaring up behind her, almost like fire. "I'm sick of Harry being all withdrawn, but I refuse to let you be all sad and mopey. This isn't the Hermione I know. Now. Spill. It."

Hermione rolled her eyes back in thought, and couldn't help the overwhelming feeling that Ginny always presented. "It's just. You won't understand."

"Try me."

"My parents are mildly upset with me." She sighed. "It's been ages since I actually spent an entire holiday with them. I haven't told them about...everything here. They wouldn't let me go back to Hogwarts if they found out about the war. They just don't get it, and I can't..."

"Oh Hermione." Ginny pulled her into a hug. "I know that it seems like I can't understand. My parents both understand everything and they can only protect us so much. And I have all of my brothers, but I'm sorry that I can't help you at all. I just, if you need me at all you can talk to me, okay?"

"I know."

"Well, obviously you don't." Ginny retorted. "Listen, I don't care that you think you have to know everything. You're only fifteen Hermione. Sure you love to know everything about everything but when it comes down to it, you're still young. You can be weak too, you now. You don't have to the strong all the time. Just let yourself feel for merlin's sake."

"Thanks, Gin." Hermione said.

"Promise me."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Promise me that you won't hold everything back and let yourself hurt all by yourself."

"It's really not that important. I really am _fine."_

"Damnit Hermione. Just promise me that you'll tell me if something really is bothering you. That's what friends are for." Ginny obviously wasn't going to let her go without a fight. A fight that Hermione wasn't willing to fight.

"Alright, I promise." At Ginny's grin, she muttered, "Happy now?"

"Very." Ginny pulled her friend into a tight hug. "Now you're going to tell me all about your vacation in Italy."

"Well, it's not _really_ Italy. Rome is much different than Venice, you see..."

 **HPHPHPHP**

"Draco!" Pansy threw her arms around him as she entered the prefect cabin. He tried to shrug her off, to no avail. Damn Blaise and his persistently correct assumptions. Why Pansy?

"Pansy." Draco drew out her name. "It's been quite a summer, has it not? I heard of your father's most recent... endeavor."

"Your constant lack of emotion ceases to amaze me." Pansy laughed.

The door slid open and Hermione and Weasley came through the door, the former looking much more uncertain.

"I see you still can't go anywhere without your support animal, Granger." Draco nodded at Weasley.

"Yeah! Well at least I've never been an actual ferret, Malfoy." Ron's face turned a stark red at the insult.

Hermione tried to calm the redhead, but Draco caught the dark look she sent it. Though it was more of a hurt look than anything. Her brown eyes were darker than usual, as well. And her hair looked softer than it usually did, but maybe it was just that he never noticed the way her curls lay.

"Ignore him, Ron. Don't let him make you angry."

"Shut up, 'Mione. I'm gonna-"

"Going to what, Weasley? Get your mother to push out more children?" Behind him, an older Slytherin Prefect started to laugh. "Or are you going to have Potty come and save you? Oh wait, Potty would just think the Dark Lord was here and let you-"

Then, a professor walked in to corral the prefects into order and start the meeting. Draco closed his mouth, stopping the insult that graced his tongue. It wouldn't do to have points deducted already.

Professor McGonnagal moved her hands in a wide circle. "Come here, come here. Now, this year is going to be slightly different with the way we handle the prefect duties. We believe that you are all very capable of handling a few more duties around the castle. There have been certain events in the last year, and we would like to pursue inter-house friendships within the student body. You'll learn more about these changes once we arrive at Hogwarts.

"Now, if you will all pay close attention I will be dividing duties for each student."

Thus, Draco shortly found himself patrolling part of the train with Crabbe and Goyle trailing behind him like incompetent human beings. They were talking amongst themselves, following way too close to his heals. If he hadn't been in a bad enough mood from dealing with Pansy...

He rolled his eyes as they passed one such cabin, filled with Potter, the Weaslette and the blond Ravenclaw that always said odd things to him. Luna, he thought her name was. He couldn't resist opening the door with a snarl.

"What?" Harry said aggressively, before Draco could open his mouth.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Draco, sticking his chin out. 'You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments.'

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville laughed. Draco pursed his lips in distaste.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply. His eyes turned to her, cheeks already flushed with anger.

"I seem to have touched a nerve,' said Malfoy, smirking. 'Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line."

He saw the change in Potter's expression, and immediately knew that he had gone far enough with the antagonizing. He'd much rather not be slapped by Granger again.

"Get out!" Granger practically roared.

Sniggering, Malfoy gave Harry a last malicious look and departed, with Crabbe and Goyle lumbering along in his wake. The door slammed behind them, but Draco caught the look of anxiety in her eyes.

* * *

 **Hello! I hope you like this chapter 1. I want you all to know that this story will have slow updating times because I'm getting married soon. I love the way this story is coming together so far. I plan to stick close to the timeline in OOTP, and slowly pull away from cannon after that. If you guys have any comments I would love to here them**

 **R &R and Stay Golden everyone**

 **Lady Goat**


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